A polydactyl Maine Coon is a Maine Coon born with one or more extra toes, caused by a harmless dominant gene variant rather than a defect. For a kitten buyer that distinction matters, because a healthy poly and a deformity-linked one can look alike at first glance but carry very different risks. This guide covers the genetics, the toe counts, the documented health facts, TICA show status, real price differences, and the nail care a poly paw actually needs, so you can judge a listing on substance instead of novelty.
TL;DR
- Polydactyl Maine Coons carry a dominant Hemingway gene variant that adds extra toes.
- Normal cats have 18 toes; polys commonly show 4 to 7 per paw.
- Benign polydactyly is harmless; radial hypoplasia is a separate, serious condition.
- TICA accepted Maine Coon Polydactyls for championship on May 1, 2015.
- Poly kittens often cost $300 to $500 more than standard littermates.
What makes a Maine Coon polydactyl
A polydactyl Maine Coon is a Maine Coon that inherits a dominant gene variant causing it to grow extra toes, most often on the front paws. The trait traces to a single change in the ZRS, a regulatory stretch of DNA that controls the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) gene during paw development. In North American lines, the common variant is nicknamed the Hemingway mutation, or Hw, and it passes as an autosomal dominant trait with high penetrance. That means one poly parent typically produces a litter where roughly half the kittens are also poly. Researchers have also documented separate British variants, labeled UK1 and UK2, which shows the trait is not genetically uniform. Importantly, this is a cosmetic change to digit count, not a disease. A kitten either carries a poly variant or it does not, and carriers are not at higher risk of illness because of the gene itself.
Because the variant is dominant, a breeder can plan litters with predictable odds, which is why a dedicated polydactyl program pairs cats deliberately instead of leaving toes to chance. Roughly half is an average across many litters, not a promise for any single one.
How many toes does a polydactyl Maine Coon have
A standard cat has 18 toes: five on each front paw and four on each back paw. A polydactyl Maine Coon adds one or more digits to that count, and combinations of four to seven toes per paw are common. Extra toes usually appear on the front paws, sometimes on all four, and only rarely on the hind paws alone. The world record, held jointly by two cats, sits at 28 toes total, which is exceptional rather than typical. Most pet poly Maine Coons land somewhere between 20 and 26 toes. The trait shows up as a thumb-like inner digit, the look that earns these cats the catcher's-mitt nickname. Toe count varies even within one litter, so siblings can carry different numbers. What matters for a buyer is not the exact tally but whether the leg bones below those toes are straight and sound.
Front-paw polydactyly is by far the most common pattern in Maine Coons. Hind-only poly is unusual, and paired with other signs it can warrant a closer look at the leg bones.
Where polydactyl Maine Coons come from
Polydactyl cats earned their fame at sea and in Key West. Sailors prized cats with extra toes, believing the wider paws gave better balance on pitching decks and a stronger grip in the rigging, which made them sharp shipboard mousers. Those ship cats spread the trait through port towns, including Key West, a busy maritime hub in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The most famous line started with a cat named Snow White, given to the writer Ernest Hemingway by a ship's captain in the 1930s. The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West still cares for roughly 60 cats today, many of them polydactyl descendants, which is why six-toed cats are widely called Hemingway cats. Maine Coons fit this story naturally, since the breed developed as a hardy working cat in the northeastern United States, where ship cats and barn cats freely mixed and the poly trait took hold early.
That working-cat heritage is part of why a poly Maine Coon reads less like a gimmick and more like a living piece of the breed's history.
Do polydactyl Maine Coons have health problems
For the common form of the trait, no. Benign feline polydactyly affects only the paws and causes the cat no pain, no lameness, and no extra health risk from the gene itself. The one practical caveat is nail care: an extra toe can carry an extra claw that does not wear down normally, so it can curl into the pad if left untrimmed. A separate and more serious condition can be confused with polydactyly. Radial hypoplasia, often shortened to RH, is caused by a different mutation and shortens or twists the radius bone in the foreleg. Affected cats show flat, splayed feet, sometimes called patty or hamburger feet, and breeding two RH carriers can produce severely disabled kittens. RH and benign polydactyly are not genetically linked, so a sound poly Maine Coon does not pass on RH. Telling them apart usually needs an X-ray to confirm the leg bones are normal.
| Paw type | What you see | Health impact | Breeding note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (18 toes) | Five front, four back toes | None | Baseline |
| Benign polydactyly | Extra thumb-like inner toes | None; needs nail trimming | Safe with a sound, X-ray-checked parent |
| Radial hypoplasia (RH) | Flat, splayed feet, short forelegs | Lameness and deformity risk | Should not be bred |
Trimming and caring for poly paws
Plan to check a poly Maine Coon's claws every two to three weeks instead of monthly. Extra toes, especially thumb-style dewclaws that never touch the ground, do not wear naturally and can grow in a tight curl toward the pad. A quick trim with cat clippers, taking only the clear tip and avoiding the pink quick, keeps the nail from embedding. Beyond claws, poly paws need no special diet, surgery, or medication. Our care guide covers a full grooming and nail-care routine that works for both poly and standard Maine Coons.
Can you show a polydactyl Maine Coon
Yes, in the right registry. The International Cat Association accepted the Maine Coon Polydactyl for full championship competition starting May 1, 2015, after the cats had been exhibited in a developmental New Traits class since 2005. TICA places the Maine Coon and the Maine Coon Polydactyl in a single breed group, MC and MCP, so a poly can earn the same titles as a standard Maine Coon rather than being judged as a novelty. The written standard treats polydactyly as a trait with variable expression and states there is no preference for more toes over fewer, so a four-toed thumb and a six-toed mitten compete on equal footing. Not every registry follows TICA here. Some major associations still treat extra toes as a fault or do not register poly Maine Coons for championship at all, which is why a breeder's specific registrations matter. For a pet buyer who never plans to show, none of this changes daily life with the cat.
If showing matters to you, confirm both parents' registries before reserving and check our breed standards page for how pedigree and registration are documented.
Why polydactyl Maine Coons cost more
Poly kittens usually cost more than their standard littermates because the trait is rarer, harder to breed for responsibly, and in high demand. Across US breeders, the premium commonly runs $300 to $500 above a standard kitten, though some catteries price every kitten the same regardless of toes. At Meow Deluxe, a standard pet-quality kitten is $3,500 with a $500 reservation deposit, while current kittens are listed between $4,700 and $6,200 depending on traits, pattern, and conformation. A poly kitten sits within that range rather than carrying a separate surcharge tacked on at checkout. The reason responsible poly breeding costs more is the screening behind it. An ethical breeder X-rays or carefully selects against radial hypoplasia, pairs a poly parent with a sound mate, and tracks which kittens inherit the trait. That extra veterinary and record-keeping work, plus the smaller supply of healthy poly lines, is what the price reflects.
A real cost walkthrough
Say you reserve a poly kitten listed at $5,200. You pay the $500 deposit to hold it, which leaves a $4,700 balance due before pickup. From there, two branches change your final number.
Branch one is payment method. Pay the balance by bank transfer and you owe exactly $4,700. Pay by card and a 3% processing fee applies, adding about $141 to the $4,700 balance, roughly $4,841. On the full $5,200, that 3% fee would be about $156.
Branch two is pickup versus delivery. Collecting the kitten in Maryland yourself costs nothing extra, while scheduled delivery adds a travel fee that depends on distance.
| Scenario | Balance paid | Card fee | Approx. total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer, self-pickup | $4,700 | $0 | $5,200 |
| Card, self-pickup | $4,700 | ~$141 | ~$5,341 |
| Card, scheduled delivery | $4,700 | ~$141 | ~$5,341 plus delivery |
Before you commit, vet the breeder the same way you would for any kitten; our reputable breeder checklist lists the health records and questions that separate a careful poly program from a backyard one. You can also compare current options on the available kittens page.
How Meow Deluxe handles polydactyl breeding
Meow Deluxe runs a dedicated polydactyl program inside a preservation-focused cattery in Maryland, established in 2021 and WCF registered the same year. It carries the TICA Outstanding Cattery Facility designation and uses the TICA logo with permission, and it is not inspected or endorsed by TICA. Poly pairings are planned around health-tested lines and sound structure, not toe count for its own sake.
In practice, a poly parent is matched with a mate chosen for temperament, structure, and clear health screening, so extra toes come with the same stable Maine Coon foundation as any standard kitten. Reserving a poly follows the same path as any other kitten: a screening questionnaire, pre-approval, a reservation application, then a deposit, with a priority waitlist built into the reservation process.
The practical takeaway is simple. Judge the legs and the health records first, the toes second. A kitten with straight forelegs, documented parents, and a trimmed set of extra claws is a polydactyl done right.